Arizona weekly citizen., 1887-07-23
Important Land Office Circular.
DEPARTlINT OF THE INTERIOR.
 GENERAL LAND OFFICk WashilgtOn, ID. C.. June 2q Iss7. \
REGISTERS AND RICuvKRs,
 United States Land Office.

Washington, ID. C.. June 29. 1SS7.
 REGIsTKRs AND RIcIvKRs,
 United States Land Office.
 GRSTLKMKS,-Theti first section of the scl of March 3, 1877. entitled An Ac, to provide for the sale of desert lands in certain States and Territories" pro vides for the reclamation of such lands by conducting water upon she same. The second section provides "that all lands exclusive of tImbse laais and mineral lands which will Lot. withou. artificial irIigatlCn. produce sOme sgri- cultural crop. shAll be deemed desert lands witbIu tke meaning of this set. and the th;rd section provides that "the | determination of Whas may b- consider ed desert land shall be subject to the decision and regulation of the Com missioner of tue General Land Office" | IL k therefore prescribed as follows: | lst. Lands bordering upon streams lskes or other natural bodies of water, Or through or upon which there IS any Tiver, stream, arroyo. lake, pond, body Of water, or living spriug, are not sub iect to entry under ths desert land law until the elearest proof of their desert character is furnished.
 2d, Lands which produce native grasses sufficient in quantity, if unfed by grazing animals, to make an ordinary crop of hay m usual seasons, are not desert lands.
 3d. Lands which will produce an az rIcultursl crop Ofsny kind, m amount to make the cultivation reasonably re- muDerstive, are not desert.
 4th. Lands containing sufficient to produce a natural growth of trees, arc not 10 be chased as desert lands. l. The amount of land which may be entered by any person under the desert land act cannot exceed one section, or six hundred and forty acres. which must be in compact form, and DO person can make more than one entry.
 2-Desert land entries gre not assign able. and the transfer of such entries whether by deed, contract, CT agreement. yitiates the entry. An entry made ID the interest or for the benefit of any other person. firm or corporation. or with intent that the title shall be con veyed 10 any other person, firm or cor poration, Is illegal.
 3. The price st which lands may be entered under the desert land act is the same ss under the preemption law, viz: Single minimum lands @. SIPS per acre, and double minimum lands at s25O per acre. (SectIon 2357, U. s. Rev. Stat)
 4, A party desiring to avail himself of the privileges of the desert land act must file with the Register and ReceIv- or of the proper district land office declaration. under oath, setting forth that the applicant is 8 citizen of the United States or that he has declared his intention to become such. In the latter case duly certified copy of his declaration of intention to become a citizen must be presented ana filed. IL must also be set up that the applicant has not previously exercised the right of entry under the provisions of this act, and that he intends to reclaim the tract of land applied for by conducting water thereon within three years from date of hls declaration. The declaration must also contain the description of the land applied for, by legal sub division If sur veyed. or if unsurveyed as nearly as pos sible without a survey, by giving with ss much clearness and precision as pos sible the locality of the tract with refer tuCt tO hlEGhul CntnOAi1AGd AAbC1 OA survey. or to known and conspicuous land marks. SO ns to admit of it's being readily identified when the lines of sur vey come to be extended.
 ,. Your attention is called to the terms of this declaration as provided by existing regulations Form 4-274G which are such as require personal knovl- edge by the entrymsn of lands intended to be entered. Tie required affidavit cannot be made by an agent nor upon information and belief and you will hereafter reject all applications in which it does not appear that the enirymsn made the sverments contained in the sworn declaration upon his own knowl- edge derived from a personal eIamIn- ation of the lands. The blank in the declaration, tn-wit: ''thst became ac- quainted with said land by-," must be filled in with full statement of the facts of his acquaintance with the land and how he knows its character ss sl- legged. Said declaration must be cor roborated by the affidavits of two reput- able witnesses who are acquainted with the land and with the applicant, and who must clearly state their scqusint- ance with the premises, and the facts as to the condition and situation of the land upon which they base their iudg- ment (FOrm 4-074).
 6. Applicants and witnesses must in sll cases state their places of actual res idence, their business or occupations, and their post-ofice addresses. 1t IS not sufficient to name the county and State or Territory where a party lives, but the town or oity must be named, and If a residence Is in city the street and number must be gwen.
 '. The declaration and corroborsting affidavits may be made before either the Register or Receiver of the land distrIct in which the lands are situated, or be- fore the judge or clerk of a court of record of the county ID which the lands are situated, and if the lands are m an unorganiZed county, then the affidavit may be made in an adjacent county. The dispositions of applicant and wit nesses ID making final proof must be taken m the same manner; and the su- thority of any practice or regulation per mltting original or finsl desert land ain daylts to be executed before any other officers than those named above, is here by revoked. The sfiidsvits of applicant and witnesses must in every instance either of orgi- nal application or final proof, be made at the same time and place and before the same officer.
 B. When proof of the character of the land has been made as above required to the satisfaction of the district off cers, the applicant will pay the Receiver sum of twenty per acre where the land IS single minimum, and fifty cents per acre where the land IS double l minimum. The Register will receive and file his declaration, and the Register and Receiver will issue, m duplicate, s certificate Form 4-l99). acknowledging the receipt of the twenty-five or fifty cents per acre, as the case may be, and the fling ot the declaration. One of these duplicates will be delivered to the applicant; the other will be retained by the Register and Receiver with the dec laration sni proof. They will bear a number according 70 the order Tn which the certificate was issued. The Pa,;st.r UiIl keep a record of the cer-